Third Mumbai-Pune Expressway Delayed Again as Land Acquisition, Clearances Remain Pending
Pune/Mumbai, 7th September 2026: The proposed third expressway connecting Mumbai and Pune has been delayed yet again, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) extending the tender deadline for the first 30-km phase amid incomplete land acquisition and pending environmental clearances.
The tender for the Pagote-Chowk stretch is now expected to open on October 1, further delaying the start of construction. According to NHAI officials, the tender process has not reached its final stage as the required land acquisition remains incomplete.
The third expressway is being planned as part of the extension of the Pune-Bengaluru Expressway up to Mumbai. The proposed route will connect Atal Setu to Pune via Chowk and Shivare, covering around 130 km.
The project is divided into two phases. The first phase comprises the 30-km Pagote-Chowk stretch, while the second will cover around 100 km from Chowk to Shivare. Under NHAI norms, around 90 per cent of the required land needs to be acquired before the project can proceed.
The tender for the first phase was initially floated in 2024 but was cancelled due to technical issues. A fresh tender was issued in August 2025, but the deadline has since been extended more than 15 times.
Senior NHAI official said the tender process was yet to reach the final stage as land acquisition was still pending. The lack of environmental clearances has also contributed to the delay, with actual construction work yet to begin.
